When Enzo Mari designed Mariolina in 2002, it was a breath of fresh air in the world of chairs. It was not about new comfort, it was more about experience and emotions…

Chairs are one of the basic furniture pieces but they aren‘t easy – they don‘t have the architectural structure of a table, or the comfy indeterminacy of a sofa. They don‘t have the inflated dimensions of a bed, or the magical possibilities of light. Chairs are everywhere and they have to respond to an extraordinary variety of situations, needs and tastes. We sit on it in offices, kitchens, schools, in dining rooms or in the garden – we spend more time in contact with chairs than with any other object and no other object has to withstand the shape, movements and different postures of our bodies.

“The world was not designed for the rich,” Mari once said, because good design should be there for everyone. With this ambition, he revolutionized the design world and established a new understanding of the creation of products like MARIOLINA.

It is a basic chair, but a manifestation of Mari’s design vision at the same time – simple, practical, long-lasting and most importantly  affordable.

Mariolina recalls the fifties-style, but features a series of extra details. The legs in powder-coated steel tube are in fact slimmer and more precise in section. The polypropylene seat and back are not screwed or riveted to the frame, but instead attached using a series of moulded ribs that grip the metal frame on the rear of the seat and back. Mariolina is stackable up to 12 pieces.

New, soft, vibrant colours oozing with personality have come to join the Magis world!

Turquoise, yellow and pink for Puppy, the dog designed by Eero Aarnio featuring essential, rounded shapes, and which in these three new delicate shades reminds us of the delightfully soft, playful sensations associated with certain desserts.

Alternating warm and cool shades – yellow, pink, bordeaux, blue and green – instead characterise the new colours offered for the 360° container designed by Konstantin Grcic. These bold, distinct tones interpret the versatile, dynamic character of this practical storage unit on wheels fitted with rotating drawers, designed to optimise space in the office and at home.

How is an idea for a project conceived, developed and implemented?

Education encounters Magis’ experience at the ESAD University in Porto, Portugal, a renowned international design school where Alberto Perazza held a conference and workshop on 17 May.

The event, which is part of a cycle of meetings, was an opportunity to speak about design and creativity to students and future designers and how the designer and the company can achieve these through working together in a coordinated manner. This is then followed by a targeted manufacturing process, which produces unique objects such as Magis’ iconic products, some of which were displayed for the occasion in an exhibition set up in the ESAD university lobby.

Until 31 May, Steelwood Stool designed by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec and bar stool Tom, design by Konstantin Grcic, will be on display at the U-Joints exhibition curated by Anniina Koivu, at ECAL/University of Art and Design, Lausanne, Switzerland.

The Nivola Museum in Orani (Nuoro, Sardinia) pays tribute to Alessandro Mendini three months after his death, through the ATELIER MENDINI. LE ARCHITETTURE exhibition, curated by Aldo Colonetti. It presents the results of fifty years of projects by this architect, designer and outstanding artist, including the Magis Proust armchair he designed in 2011. Three Magis Prousts are on display inside the exhibition, which is open until 16 June 2019. (ph: Cedric Dasesson)

From 18 May to 15 September 2019, TEHDAS – FABRIK – FACTORY provides a reflection on the factory perceived as a creative space, and on the current role of craftsmanship within the various design industries. Installed at the Fiskars Village Art & Design Biennale (Finland) and curated by Anniina Koivu, it showcases design pieces, including the iconic Chair_One designed by Konstantin Grcic.